[Texas Moon]

The other day while shooting the Walker I had an idea.
After shooting and lubing with grease(using my fingers) I pretty much had that slimy stuff all over me, the gun, and the bench.

I thought about a way to apply the grease/lube to the chamber mouths without

1.) getting it all over everything(Mostly my fingers)
and
2.) prevent wasting so much of it. Seems like a lot of it was wasted on the face of the cylinder.

So.......
Went to Wal-mart and grabbed a cheap-o cooking/meat syringe with the big fat metal needle for injecting meat with spice/marinade. Cost = $5.00
Cut off the sharp tip of the needle and smoothed the cut with a small file.
Also bought a cheap-o measuring cup. Microwaved some lube in it until the lube was liquid. Poured it in to meat syringe. Allow to cool. Presto! Now I can easily apply lube to the chamber mouths with little to no waste and its a lot neater and less waste of lube.
NOTE: be sure to plug the needle tip before you pour in the hot lube as it will run out of the needle.

[scrat]

Pics i need pics of such product

[NCWanderer]

Great idea, I'm going to try it. I don't like the mess either :(
BTW, what are you using for lube? Crisco, or do you have your own recipe?
NC

[Texas Moon]

http://i49.tinypic.com/2w6sy1d.jpg
The lube i'm using is some old stuff called "bear grease".
Its semi soft at room temp. Similar to Criscoe.
Hard lubes wouldn't work in the syringe.

[scrat]

I like it. good idea

[Hawkeye748]

Good idea! Been in use with the N-SSA for about 40 years. Works good for lubing the base of minie balls right before you shoot.

Cake Icing syringe also works well.

[Snaggletooth]

My wife has one of those she never uses. Im going to make one tomorrow. She is mad at me anyway. I ask her what she wanted for her birthday and she said "Just get me my favorite flower" I bought her a bag of Pillsburys best.

[scrat]

hahahahaha

[mykeal]

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/mykealsm/Guns/wads.jpg

[rcflint]

The old standby was to use cake frosting "syringes".

[Hellgate]

If that lube gets COLD you will not be able to squeeze it out of the syringe. I use GOOP/DOJO soapless mechanics hand cleaner when it is really cold. Otherwise, I use automotive grease because whether it is 90 above or freezing it will still go through the syringe. Any beees wax/olive oil/ "organic", "natural" lube you make up will harden in cold weather and run in real hot weather. Contrary to popular belief the auto grease (or lithium) keeps the bore fouling down and prevents chain firing. I also use an under ball lube wad with traditional lubes but it won't liquify in hot weather. I get curved tip IRRIGATION SYRINGES from a medical supply or pharmacy and cut the tips back a little and they work great and cost about 10-20 cents each. They can be reused depending on how long you leave them laying around full of lube (the rubber gasket swells up over time when in contact with the lube).

[ontarget]

I use crisco applied with a popsicle stick. Very little mess. Easy clean up too.
Curious how you clean up automotive grease without stripping all of the seasoning from the piece though?

[Hawkeye748]

Some people, me included, do not believe seasoning is the best way to preserve a BP firearm. I realize some traditionalists don't do anything else. Petroleum products do a much better job of preventing rust and corrosion than seasoning.

[azyogi]

'cookie press' if it will pass cookie dough it will work for whatever your lube is, the ones that look like a minature refillable caulking gun. The ex got hers from one of those high end product parties, don't remember the brand. Warning; they [ex's or future ex's] tend to get peeved when you mix beeswax, beargrease, and whale oil in them.

[wittzo]

Somehow, I ended up with a curved tip syringe from when the boys were babies.

You can get them on amazon.com (and lots of other hobby sites) for about a dollar.
12cc curved tip syringe. I imagine you can get them bigger, but the 12 cc looks like it should hold enough grease, lard, shortening, whatever to load all the cylinders.
http://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Syringe-Tapered-Curved-Tip/dp/B0002YFRAW

[sundance44s]

I use horse wormer syringes ...they are use once and throw aways ...so they are free.

[wittzo]

Where can I buy those free syringes, since I don't have any cattle or horses? :)

[MachIVshooter]

I use crisco applied with a popsicle stick. Very little mess.

I tried that, but I found it to be most messy. I had blackened crisco all over me after a short time.

I just use TC bore butter. Doubles for medicinal purposes when you're out of Vick's vapo-rub, too :D.

[qajaq59]

I'm with mykeal and the wads on this one. I finally had enough of the mess the grease makes.

[DrLaw]

I just use TC bore butter. Doubles for medicinal purposes when you're out of Vick's vapo-rub, too Me, too.

Mykeals wad idea is also good. Very eloquent reply there. :D

The Doc is out now. :cool:

[zimmerstutzen]

Those curved tip syringes are good for getting glue into tight joints too. Howver they are too small to hold much lube. A 60 cc feeding tube syringe costs about $2.50 and holds enough for an afternoon of shooting. You can get them at nearly any farm store.

[qajaq59]

You could use one of those squeeze bottles that they sell for mustard and ketchup. They'd hold enough to make it worthwhile.

[hildo]

Not quite sure why one would want to mess with a syringe and grease when, Mykeal already showed it in a photo, lube pills... or are they really wads? They look simular anyway,

My Walker starts to bind within 6 shots.
When using lube pills (grease cookies) I can shoot all day long without any problems, without any additional lubing or getting messy.
I use them in everything now, upto my Brown Bess to keep the fouling in the barrel soft so I can keep on reloading without swabbing.

A lube pill is made from 50/50 beeswax/crisco (or simular). Many recipies can be used and most will work. In cold weather a little less beeswax can be used.
The lube pill is placed between powder and the ball. It is thick enough so it will not influence the working of the gunpowder.
They will keep the barrel clean and the arbour pin greased.

If more info is needed, try the search option. Lots of topics on lube pills.

Hildo

[BHP FAN]

I call them ''grease cookies'', but call them what you like.I've made and used them in BP revolvers and BP cartridges, and they work GREAT!

[tx gun runner]

I've been using the popsicle stick for years , but that syringe sound like the way to go . I use instant cream of wheat for filler and keeps the bore clean .

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z195/dukeboy51/Picture1135-1.jpg

[ontarget]

MachIV, Ya ain,t supposed to use the popsicle stick to apply crisco to the grip.
Ya use it to wipe a dab over the chambers. LOL

[Gatofeo]

I gave up on automotive grease, and any petroleum grease, long ago. It won't dissolve nearly as well in the hot, soapy water I use to clean my guns.
I've also found that with black powder -- which is about all I ever use -- petroleum greases create a hard, tarry fouling.

I use felt wads soaked in the lubricant I introduced years ago, and named after me: Gatofeo's No. 1 Lubricant.
The recipe is:
1 part canning paraffin
1 part mutton tallow
1/2 part beeswax
All measurements are by weight, not volume. Use the ingredients stated; any substitution results in an inferior lubricant.
This is basically the recipe that 19th century ammunition factories used for outside-lubricated bullets. My contribution was to list very specific ingredients, which work well together.

This lubricant is too hard for cold weather but it works wonders in a felt wad.

I rarely use grease over the ball, unless I've loaded so much powder in the chamber that there's no room for a greased real wool felt wad. I specify real wool because so much felt today is synthetic, made of plastic, and doesn't work as well. In fact, I've had polyester felt leave deposits of melted plastic in the bore.
I live in the remote Utah desert where temperatures can go as high as 110F (43.5C). When it's this hot, and humidity is almost nil, I may have to put grease over the ball to augment the greased felt wad. But usually, this is not required.

When I do use grease, I use CVA Grease Patch. It doesn't harden in cold weather and provides excellent lubrication.

Incidentally, Dixie Gun Works sells an all-brass lubricator for cap and ball sixguns. I bought one 20 years ago for $10 as I recall. Probably three times that today!
But it's machined from solid brass, the rear screws off for easy loading, and it had a threaded brass plug for the end, so it won't leak.

But your idea works well. And you can't beat the price!
For me, greased felt wads are easier, work better and are less messy.

[doubleh]

Turkey baster from Wally-World and the cheapest automotive grease I can find. Used to use crisco but that crap melts with the first shot and gets all over everything.

[NCWanderer]

How about that white lithium grease? Anyone tried it for over the ball lube? Is it petroleum base?

[Bluehawk]

Lithium grease is a metallic soap and has been used with great results for many years for cast bullets in centerfire rifles...I've used it for that but not for BP loads...you will havta read the can to see if it contains any petroleum distillates...mine is made by Mag1 and doesn't say whether it contains any or not.